THE GROWTH ALONG THE COAST 193 



Nautilus in 1830. 1 The codfishery revived somewhat, and 

 the halibut fishery became of importance as a permanent 

 business about 1835. The value of cod for 1837 was 

 $186,516. Seven years later the fisheries of Gloucester em- 

 ployed 249 vessels, carrying over 1,200 men, and secured 

 86,315 quintals of fish. In 1846, there were 220 vessels 

 in the fleet, and 1,850 fishermen. 



The railroad connecting Gloucester with Boston was com- 

 pleted in 1846. This means of communication was of im- 

 mediate and lasting value to the fisheries of Cape Ann. 

 Previous to this time Boston had been the market for 

 fresh fish. Vessels did not then carry ice at sea to preserve 

 the fish, but some of them were fitted with water-tight 

 compartments amidship. By boring holes through the 

 bottom of the vessel into the compartment the free access 

 of water was secured, in which the halibut were kept alive 

 until the vessel reached market. In 1848, a company was 

 formed at Gloucester for the purpose of making the town 

 a shipping port for fresh halibut. The company failed 

 the first year ; they had agreed to buy all halibut furnished 

 by the fishermen; the season's catch proved to be excep- 

 tionally large, so that markets could not be found to take 

 the product that was forced upon the company. 



The total value of the fishery products of Gloucester in 

 1847 was $589,354. The number of vessels employed was 

 287, of which 126 were less than forty tons burden; the 

 total tonnage was 12,354 tons; the number of men em- 

 ployed was 1,681 and 186 boys. 2 During the twenty years 

 following 1847, the fisheries of Gloucester developed 

 rapidly. More than 2,000 men were employed in the in- 

 dustry in 1851. The value of the halibut catch that year 

 was $120,000. The introduction of frozen herring from 



i Ibid, p. 77. 



2Babson, History of Gloucester, p. 599. 



